Weapon



g- 1969 D. J. DONNELLY 3,459,098

WEAPON 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 24, 1968 INVENTOR; NIEL J. DgNNELLY #4; 4n. W ATTORN YS D. J. DONNELLY WEAPON 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 24, 1968 v 0 0 v u o o o o W X f j i .Y mm mm 0 y Q & o O 0 M m v o fi i Q 5 b mn he mm O INVENTOR.

DANIEL J. DONNELLY 39W I ATTORNEYS Aug. 5, 1969 D. J- DONNELLY 3,459,098

WEAPON Filed June 24, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 J. ATTORNEYS- United States Patent-O WEAPON Daniel J. Donnelly, Levittown, Pa., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the rmy Filed June 24, 1968, Ser. No. 739,471 Int. Cl. F41f 1/00 US. Cl. 89-1 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A projectile, positioned in the gun bore of an armored vehicle turret weapon, has a weakened forward portion of a cartridge case strongly attached thereto. Upon ignition of propellant in the case and a predetermined amount of barrel traversement by the projectile and cartridge case, the case will become dismembered from the projectile and be expelled out the barrel muzzle following the launched projectile.

The invention described herein may be manufactured, used, and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention rel-ates to weapons, and more particularly, to automatically loaded weapons in which the cycling time is critical.

The extraction and disposal of fired cartridge cases has been an inherent problem in automatic weapons particularly in armored vehicles. The development of combustible cartridge cases was an apparent solution since the case is consumed upon firing, but other problems have been confronted in that combustible cartridge cases are susceptible to attack by moisture and contamination which prevents complete burning and reduces strength.

It is an object of the invention to provide an auto- ;matic weapon with a projectile having a lightweight disposable cartridge case wherein a reduction of cycling time in automatic fire is obtainable.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a weapon construction in which there is eliminated the accumulation of expended cartridge cases and the accompanying acrid fumes in the turret of an armored vehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a weapon projectile as an inexpensive and more reliable assembly having greater strength to withstand rough handling and which does not require unusual protection from the aforementioned adverse environmental conditions.

These and other objects, features and advantages will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is -a longitudinal sectional view of a weapon arrangement embodying the principles of the invention, with the projectile shown as having just been fired.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the FIG. 1 cartridge case construction before firing.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are respective rear and front end views of the FIG. 2 cartridge case.

The gun bore or barrel 11 (FIG. 1) of the weapon which is preferably mounted in the turret of an armored vehicle (not shown) in an appropriate rnanner is provided with suitable conventional rifling grooves for spiral forward motion to be imparted to the longitudinally extending projectile 12 via its peripheral rotating band 13 upon weapon firing. The self obturating breech portion of the gun tube has a suitable ignition element 14 preferably adapted for electrical firing.

The rearward surface 15 of projectile 12 is provided with a concave annular recess 16 which intersects or terminates the central rearward projection 17 whose threaded lateral surface 18 engages or receives the internally threaded locking ring .19 in such a manner that the inner extremity or periphery of the annular inwardly tapering forward portion 20 of the cartridge case sidewall 21 is strongly secured to the rearward end of the projectile 12.

The cartridge case sidewall 21 is provided with a plurality of apertures 22 and has appropriately secured thereto a centrally apertured rearward end member 23 (FIGS. 1, 2, 3). Member 23 is formed of an annular or ring base 24 that is integral with a plurality of multi-aperture segmental members 25, 25 as defined by radially extending slots (FIG. 3) that are circumferentially equally spaced and extend from the ring 24 to the case rearward end central aperture 27.

The case tapering forward portion 20 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced arcuate slots 28 (FIG. 4) and is thus weakened in a predetermined manner adjacent the locking ring 19 prior to ignition of the cartridge propellant 30 in silk bag 30A by the igniter 31. A plastic film or liner 32, 33 (FIG. 2) preferably coats the exterior of the cartridge rearward end member 23 as well as the entire internal surface of the cartridge case.

Upon ignition of the propellant 30, both Within the cartridge case initially and thereafter deposited through the opened segmental members 25 into the breech end of the chamber, the projectile 12 moves forward to traverse the gun barrel 11 in a spiral manner, and the spent cartridge case becomes dismembered from the projectile (FIG. 1), due to the preweakened or slotted forward portion 20, after a predetermined amount of barrel travel, and is expelled out the barrel muzzle following the launched projectile.

Various modifications, alterations or changes may be restorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a weapon having a gun bore,

a projectile extending longitudinally in said gun bore and having a rearward surface formed vw'th a concave annular recess terminating in a central rearward projection,

a cartridge case having a substantially cylindrical sidewall terminating in an annular inwardly tapering forward portion, said forward portion having a plurality of circumferentially spaced arcuate slots,

a locking ring on said central projection and securing said inwardly tapering forward portion against said concave recess,

propellant means in said cartridge case, and

means for igniting said propellant means,

so constructed and arranged that upon ignition of said propellant means and forward motion of said pro- 3 jectile, said cartridge case will become dismembered from said projectile.

2. The structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein said central projection on said projectile has a threaded lateral surface, and said locking ring is internally threaded and abuts said cartridge case forward portion adjacent and inward of said slots.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said cartridge case has a rearward end secured to said sidewall, said rearward end having a central aperture and being formed of a plurality of segmental portions defined by radially extending slots, each of said segmental portions having a plurality of apertures therein.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein said sidewall has a plurality of apertures therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS SAMUEL W. ENGLE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

